In assembling connectors it is important to provide a structure within the housing or include a device to retain the contacts in the housing. The various ways of retaining the contacts include providing an interference fit within contact receiving passageways of a housing, using outwardly projecting lances on the contacts which abut an internal surface within the passageway or use of a secondary step in manufacturing, such as staking, use of a tool and a high force latch or the like. For cost effective manufacturing, however, it is desirable to eliminate the need for post assembly operations and rely on the structure of the housing and/or contacts to hold the contacts in the housing.
The problems associated with contact retention are exacerbated when the contacts are loaded into a connector from the mating face thereof and the connector is then mounted to a circuit board or the like. One method of preventing contacts from moving outwardly from the connector is by the use of a tool or removable cover to hold the contacts in place while force is applied to mount the connector to a board, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,245. In other cases a secondary manufacturing step, such as using a tool to provide a wall engaging lance in the contact (See FIGS. 11 and 12) is employed after the contacts are inserted into the housing.